Dinh Q. Lê’s new work features newly filmed footage of the Chincha Islands off the coast of Peru which are inhabited by large colonies of birds and rich in guano, a powerful fertiliser.

Currently these islands are uninhabited but during the mid 19th century the Chincha Islands were central to global markets and contested by Spanish, American and Peruvian powers in order to lay claim to what was then one of the most valuable global commodities.

At the height of the ‘Guano Rush’ thousands of bonded Chinese labourers were forced to live on these islands in brutal conditions to harvest the fertiliser.

‘The Colony’ also poses questions in relation to contemporary conflicts over mineral exploitation. In the accompanying catalogue Dinh Q. Lê in conversation with Zoe Butt also discusses this project in relation to current political instability over the contested islands in the South China Seas taking place between Vietnam and China.

Environmental Historian Dr. Frank Uekotter from the University of Birmingham will launch the exhibition at 6.30 p.m. with a talk based on the legacy of guano.